


Fostering Secrets

by mynamesnotsurely



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Protective Clint Barton, Protective Siblings, Protectiveness, Secrets, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25936123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynamesnotsurely/pseuds/mynamesnotsurely
Summary: After Miles, Skye heads to the closest thing to home she has. With the rest of the team on a new mission, Skye finds a new purpose. When paths cross, secrets come out.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Skye, are you listening to me?” Numbness crept through my veins. I knew what was coming. I knew the consequences of helping Miles.

“Yes.” I choked out. I refused to cry. This was my own doing.

“Head back to your room. I need to think about what you have done.” Coulson, could barely look at me. I did this. It kept running through my head. As much as I wanted to beg for forgiveness, I knew I didn’t deserve it.

I managed to walk to the door, carefully closing it behind me. I barely could stick one foot in front of the other. As I walked through the hall, no one would look me in the eye. I did this. It kept running through my head. I collapsed on my bed, ready to break down sobbing. I knew, the brief family I had here was about to leave. Why did I always push them away?

I stared at the ceiling. My mind seemed to focus on my own stupidity, my stupid loyalty to Miles. I briefly closed my eyes, letting the noises of the plane fade away.

When I next woke, I heard a buzzing in my draw. Confused, and waiting for the grogginess to clear I saw up. Crap. I pulled the draw in a panic, almost ripping it out. Laura. The name flashed across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Skye?” The voice was panicky on the other end. The last traces of grogginess gone.

“What’s wrong? Is Clint okay?”

“Clint is on a business trip. Do you think you could come to stay for a while?”

“I can check with my supervisor. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah…I think so…I don’t know.”

“Talk me through everything.”

“I am pregnant.”

“That’s great! Baby number 4 is sure to be a hit.”

“Yes. But the doctor thinks there may be a complication with the pregnancy. I…I don’t want to bother Clint. And you were the only one I could think of to come and help. I know this is the long term job you were talking about. And—“

“And don’t you worry. I think I may have screwed up again. You know me always a screw up.” A halfhearted chuckle escaped, attempting to force the tears back.”

“Oh sweetie, you aren’t a screw up. You may occasionally make a bad decision, but we all do.”

“Yes, well I seem to specialize is the monumental mistakes. Anyway, this should give them an easy way out of letting me go.”

“Maybe attempt to offer a vacation, to let heads cool down. Don’t quit, last week you were so excited about it.”

“Not sure if heads will cool down this time. I will talk to my supervisor and call you back as soon as I know.”

“Thanks, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“No problem, what is family for.”

My phone snapped shut. Visiting Laura and the kids offers a neat solution to my Miles problem, but does that mean I won’t be coming back. My head throbs.

A knock. “Skye, Coulson is ready to see you.” Jemma. Another team member I let down.

“Thanks Jemma.” No response. I don’t blame her. I hate me right now.

I quickly pat on my top reveals my microchip is still there. I stand, not quite ready to admit that my time with the team is at an end.

“Coulson?”

“Skye, sit down.”

“I’m sorry—“

“Stop. I don’t need apologies. The team has been called on an important mission. I can’t have your questionable loyalties on the ship. Melinda is stopping in the U.S. for fuel and supplies. You will be taken to the nearest town and dropped off at a gas station. Pack your things.”

“So that is it?”

“What did you think would happen? That we would let you stay?”

“A girl can hope.” I attempted to smile before a look at his face told me, that there was nothing funny about the situation. “So where are we stopping.”

“Classified.”

“Can’t I at least arrange transportation?”

“You are lucky we aren’t sticking a bracelet like your friend Miles.”

“I understand”

“I really don’t think you do. Let me be clear about this, right now you are really lucky that you aren’t being put in a cell for a very, very long time. You are lucky that you will retain the use of technology. And that is solely because we can’t formally prove that you made any attempts to actually hack SHIELD. If I so much as see your name cross my desk or get a whiff that you will attempt to hack or in any way harm this agency or any of its agents, I will bring the full weight of my justice down on you.”

“Of course. I know my reassurances are meaningless, but I had no ill intentions towards SHIELD or any of her agents.”

“You’re right. I do find that hard to believe. Dismissed.”

I walked out of the office shaky. As I walked down the hall, eyes watched me and refused to acknowledge my presence. My heart ached. I didn’t regret what I did. But I do regret the hurt. I have to protect my family.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the plane stopped in an undisclosed location in Wisconsin, I managed to wrangle a ride to a local bus station that happened to have a bus to Stevens Point. From there I can catch a greyhound to Waterloo, Iowa. With just a backpack and sports bag to my name, I knew that this could officially go on my list of times when life spit me out. With a sigh, I boarded my bus and called Laura to let her know of my expected arrival in Waterloo. With transportation sorted out, I looked out the window and my mind continued to circle around how angry Clint would be at me if he knew what I did. The cool window on my forehead felt soothing for the quickly forming headache.

During the long overnight ride, I wrote lists. Lists of my failures. Lists of my few achievements. Lists of what I had yet to complete. Lists. My life boiled down to lists. As the sun started to rise that morning, I wrote a new list. A list of priorities, things that I wouldn’t screw up and things that I would improve. I can’t keep letting Clint and Laura worry about me.  
1\. I will never do anything that will hurt my current family.  
2\. I will stop making impulsive decisions and think through my options.  
3\. I will help Laura with this pregnancy.  
4\. I will start to learn a new skill to get a job while I freeload.  
5\. I refuse to be a burden.  
6\. I will get through this.

It wasn’t complete. But the words stared at me like a new mantra. I could do this. By the time the bus pulled into the station, the cloud looming over me felt a lot smaller. As I stepped off the bus I saw Laura, my niece, and my nephews. I put on my biggest smile, it would do me no good to be glum in front of the kids. After a few steps I put my bags down, and the kids took off to tackle me. Nicole being the smallest and following her brothers was the last to reach me. I quickly grabbed her, and spun her around much to her delight and the disappointment of her brothers. Once her feet were safely back on the ground, I laughed at the upset faces of Callum and Lewis and opened my arms. The quickly grabbed on.

“Aunt Skye, Aunt Skye.” The two voices trading off.

“What do you rascals want?”

“Can we see your phone?” Callum, the bolder of the two, quickly asked.

“And let you message all my friends? Never first mate Callum.” He grinned hearing his nickname from the last time I visited and he wanted to be one of black beards pirates.

A small voice piped up nearby. “Aunt Skye, can we make cookies when we get home?”

“Of course. And I am sure our fellow pirates will help.”

“I don’t make cookies, I just eat them.” Callum boldly declared.

Lewis, the quieter of the two, decided to disagree. “But I can help Aunt Skye.”

“Well Mr. Callum, only boys who help make cookies get to eat them. Looks like Lui and Nicky will have to help your mom and I eat all them.”

“Well given this new information, I think I can be persuaded to help with this cookie batter.” The kid was just like his father. He was going to be a handful as he got older.

“Of course.”

“Skye, how are you?” Laura came over to pull me into a big bear hug. I almost broke down in new tears then. Key word: almost.

“Better than earlier this week and definitely ready to take a shower.” She responded with a laugh as she went to grab a bag. I quickly scooped up both.

“Skye, I can carry a bag.”

“Laura, didn’t you hear the new recommendation by the general surgeon. Pregnant women shouldn’t be carrying heavy bags.”

“Really, must be new. You know these recommendations. They need testing before they can be fully trusted.”

“But better safe than sorry.” I stuck my tongue out. She rolled her eyes as she went to unlock the van.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Are you kidding? You guys are my only family. And what else am I going to do? Stew in my failure? No. The way I see it, you are doing me a huge favor by allowing me to freeload for a while so I can figure out a next step.”

“Skye, we talked about—“

“I know, I am not a failure, blah, blah, blah…”

“Don’t worry.” She quickly lifted my bags off and stuck them in the trunk.

“Thanks.”

With that we grabbed the trio and buckled them into their safety seats and rolled out. The entire drive to Waverly, I couldn’t help but be grateful to Laura. Clint and I met in foster care and immediately hit it off. He became my older brother in every sense of the word. I would have done anything to repay him for his protection and help. But no matter how much we helped each other heal emotionally and mentally, Clint was desperate to improve his life and get out of the hell we lived in. He started preparing to enlist in the military. I was terrified that he would leave me and forget about me. He promised when I was 18, he would pick me up and I could live with him while I figured my life out. When he met Laura, he began talking about a family. Again, I was worried that a new family meant there would be no room for his loser foster sister. But Laura stormed into the apartment one day and dragged me out to go to lunch asking me everything she could think of. She refused to let me even contemplate the idea of not being welcome. And no matter how many times I messed up, she was there to help pick up the pieces.

A few years after Clint became a full-time agent, he brought back a sister: Natasha. When he went to introduce us, Laura was uncertain and Clint seemed uneasy but determined to give the assassin a chance. I being the dumb 14 year old I was and desperate for a family all my own, latched onto another member of the family. To this day, I am unsure if Clint just wanted to show Natasha that family is what you make of it or if he genuinely intended for us to become sisters. But, I charged forward with a plan for another sibling, ignoring the danger signs a sensible person would have noticed. I pulled Nat (my new name because, duh, family has nicknames). And set to doing everything 14 year old me thought would make an older sister feel comfortable. Which was admittedly pretty lame. Nat said it was endearing. 

But after a few months, Nat was just as much a part of our hodge podge family as anyone else. And now, if someone so much as looked at Laura or I the wrong way it was double the assassins on the doorstep. At this point, Laura managed to get custody of me thanks to Clint and Nat pulling strings (and maybe the threat of one or two deaths). 

In Junior high Jason Bateman asked me out for a bet, knowing I had a crush on him, then proceeded to embarrass me in front of the whole school. I was crushed. Laura helped me work my way through multiple pints of ice cream and keep attending classes even though I wanted to curl up under the covers to cry some more. At that point, it wasn’t the heartache, it was sheer embarrassment for being an idiot. Nat and Clint got home in the middle me sobbing about how two ‘friends’ of mine had ditched me and how the whole school hated me. Nat and Clint cuddled with me while I cried, then ordered pizza while they helped me with my homework. Well, they tried to help me with my homework, but I was a genius. The next day, no one said a word. Jason had suddenly transferred schools. No one mentioned a word about the incident. 

Clint, Laura, Nat, Callum, Lewis, and Nicole. They were my family. I wanted things to work out with Coulson’s team, but family comes first. Family always comes first. 

As I looked over, I made another promise to myself. I will do everything in my power to make sure this pregnancy, no matter what complications, would go smoothly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Here we go Nicky.” I said as I handed her some apple juice and checked on the boys playing cop and robber in the living room.

A sound of a crash and shattering glass upstairs broke me out of my musing. My blood ran cold in panic.

“Kids stay here.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Laura! Laura!” I yelled, panicking as I sprinted up the stairs, stumbling briefly.

As I slammed open the door, she was sitting on the floor near the bed surrounded by glass. I rushed over to pull her up and help her to the bathroom to wash the cuts.

“I’m fine Skye.”

“What are you doing out of bed without calling me?” I was angry.

“I don’t want to be too much of a trouble, you have the kids to also care for.”

“And I have you.”

“Yeah, well I hate being dependent.”

“Join the club. And I have depended on you more times than I would care to admit to.”

“But Skye, you know it’s no trouble—“

“Well take your own advice. It’s no trouble to take care of you. You are the easiest patient in the history of the world. And you are my family. So please let me take care of you.” Even I heard some of the desperation sneaking into my voice. “Please. I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to you.”

She looked at me, before she silently nodded. I grabbed the tweezers, band-aids and the rubbing alcohol out of the cupboard. We sat in silence, while I cleaned up the cuts and plastered them up.

“Um, Skye.”

“Yes.”

“I need to pee.”

“Okay. While you pee, I will go grab the vacuum and a bag to clean up the glass.”

Another nod and I ran downstairs. I peeked in on the kids who were still happily playing. I grabbed the supplies and sprinted back up the stairs. I put the things in the corner so I could help Laura back to bed. As I cleaned up the glass, I reflected on the last few weeks. I had settled into a routine, taking care of the kids, while Laura dealt with her difficult pregnancy. Neither of us were prepared for the doctor to tell us she had twins, and as a result of her age, three children, and the expectation of twins, she was at risk for several other complications.

I started to hear crying downstairs, I rushed to finish vacuuming up the area. As I went downstairs and dumped the bag of broken glass in the trash and went into the living room, I found Nicole in tears with her art project topsy turvy. I saw the boys trying to apologize and fix what I now assumed to be the mess they accidentally made.

“Nicky.” She turned and ran to me clutching onto my legs. “I am sure whatever the boys did, it was an accident.”

“But, my art for mommy is messy.”

“No its not. It just has more artists that originally intended. In fact, why don’t we start again and this time Callum and Lewis will help us. That way mommy can have something from all of us.”

“Will Cal and Liu really help?”

I looked at them.

“I guess.” They looked at the ground while they agreed to help.

“In fact, why don’t we make some pretty art and while it dries, we can make cookies.”

“Cookies?” Three expectant eyes turned to me.

“Yes, but only if you make the prettiest painting possible.”

“Of course, of course.” Callum started. “In fact, we can do this art stuff, so you can make the cookies.”

I laughed. Leave it to Callum to jump on the opportunity to get cookies faster.

“Okay, okay. And if you agree to clean up the mess in hear after you finish, you can lick the spoon.”

Callums eyes glowed as he quickly agreed in place of his siblings. I helped get them situated at the low table while I went to the kitchen. As I started to pull out the ingredients, I pulled out my phone. I opened the contacts. Nat’s contact stared back. I needed advice. My finger hovered over the dial button, contemplating.

“Auntie.” I quickly stuffed my phone back in my pocket and turned to Lewis.

“Yes honey.”

“Can we get more juice?”

“Of course.”

I filled up three sippy cups and handed one to Lewis while I carried the other 2 to the art studio in the living room. I collected the 2 empty ones while I was there and tossed them in the dishwasher. As I threw together the cookies, I knew I needed to call Natasha to ask if she could pull some strings. I may have promised Laura I wouldn’t tell Clint, but I never said I would talk to Natatasha. But what if they were in the middle of a mission?

As I heard the connection to the phone on the other end, I started to think about how this conversation would start. How would I explain the situation? Would I explain the situation? If they were on a mission, they didn’t need the distraction. But Laura needed Clint, the worry wasn’t helping the pregnancy any. The phone continued to ring, and I worried. Maybe they were on a mission. Then nothing. The phone cut out. But that was expected. We set up the emergency phones to not have voicemail and to be entirely untraceable. No connections.

“Aunt Skye! Aunt Skye! Can we have pizza tonight?” Callum asked.

“Hmm…only if you promise to do some things for me?”

“Is this like one of those eye for an eye things?”

“Where on earth have you heard that phrase?”

“Daddy uses it when he talks to Aunty Nat about work.”

“Of course he does.” Clint was a menace to parenting books everywhere. “Well, Cal, this is more of a…if you help your wonderful adoring aunt, then your wonderful adoring aunt will help you get what you want for dinner. It’s a win-win situation.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” Sneaky kid was just like his father.

“If you can get your sibling to clean up the living room and neatly put the toys away, then you get pizza.”

“Half the living room.”

“Nope, all of it.”

“But Aunt Skye, I don’t want to do ALL of it.”

“And you have 2 helpers, though you have to do your fair share.”

“Ugh…but—“

“No buts. Clean the living room and you get pizza.”

“Fine!” And out stomped a frustrated Callum.

As I climbed up the stairs, I made a note to ream Clint out for talking about work at home and ream him out for unleashing mini versions of him onto the world.

“Laura. Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

“How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Can I fluff your pillows?”

“I’m pregnant Skye. Not on life support. I have done this before…well maybe not as extreme. But I am experienced in the art of pushing out a baby.”

“So I gathered by the previous trials downstairs.”

“But a glass of water would be nice and can you add another reading book to the list next time you do errands.”

“Of course. Also, is pizza okay for dinner or are the twins feeling like something else?”

‘I think the twins can handle some pizza.”

“Excellent. Any requests?”

“No olives or mushrooms. The twins aren’t feeling the olives or the mushrooms.”

“Good because if you kept eating olives at the rate you were last week, there may be a world olive shortage.”

“Skye, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Waddle around, risk your pregnancy, then call Clint in a panic.”

“Thanks for the pep talk. I am sure I could have handled it.”

“I’m sure you could have. Let me grab that water.”

Once the water was presented, I went to the ordering pizza stage of today’s operation. With pizza on its way, I decided to give the kids some help cleaning. My mind drifting back to the lack of an answer on the call to Nat.

Over the next few weeks, I waited for a call. Nothing. Laura’s due date was approaching, we had a go-bag packed and in the car and did drills with the kids. Yet as the due date loomed, no word from Clint or Natasha. I didn’t know who to call. No way would the team on the Bus know and even if they did, I doubt they would tell a traitor like me.

Then Laura’s water broke.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Laura ended up spending a week in observation after giving birth to girls. I bussed the kids to and from the hospital daily to see their mother. After Laura came home, we quickly found that 2 babies and 3 children pulled us to the end of our limits. The next time I saw Clint I would kill him. I could tell that Laura was worried about her husband. I considered the last time I talked to him. I had tried to call Nat and him a few times in the last 3-4 months but had never heard back. I was officially in panic mode. It was Laura and the kids that kept me from breaking into SHIELD to track him down.

Then the call came.

“Hello.”

“Skye. It’s Jemma.”

“Jemma?”

“Look Skye, I know you probably hate us but we could use a hacker right now.”

“Are you sure you trust me?”

“It’s not a matter of trust. You are the best at hacking. And we could really use your help.”

“Jemma, I would love to help. But—“

“Skye.” Laura had come up behind me.

“One second Jemma.” I covered the microphone. “What’s up?”

“Go.”

“I need to be here for you and the kids.”

“You need closure. Even if they don’t trust you again. The second she called you excited. You deserve the chance to prove you aren’t who they think you are. So go.”

“But—“

“No buts—“

“Jemma. I think I can help.”

“Skye, who is with you?”

“A friend who I am helping out.”

“Okay…” There was a pause of uncertainty. “Where can we pick you up?”

“I will be in Denver in 2 days.”

“We will meet then.”

“And Jemma…”

“Yes Skye.”

“I never meant to betray anyone.”

“Sure Skye. Bye.”

“Bye Jemma.” But the line had already gone dead.

I turned around to face Laura who had an excited look on her face.

“Really?”

“You need a break from this Skye.”

“So do you.”

“I chose this. You didn’t. And I can handle a few weeks with my munchkins.”

“Well, I guess I need to get a plane ticket to Denver.”

Laura practically tackled me with a hug then immediately shoved me out of the room to pack while she planned a good luck dinner. I shook my head and got to packing.  
By the next evening, I was in Denver and checking into a hotel. Laura insisted I check in somewhere nice so I don’t get kidnapped. So I checked in and sent a picture of my room as proof I didn’t check into a sleazy motel. After 2 thumbs up came back, I sprung onto the bed and tried to settle my mind, not noticing when I fell asleep. Early the next morning, I went to the agreed location to meet the team. May and Fitzsimmons were the only ones there.

“Get in the car.”

Fitz took shotgun while Jemma rode with me in the back. I had a feeling that no one really wanted me there. As we drove to the bus, I tried to initiate a conversation. Eventually, I gave up and watched out the window. I was frustrated. I didn’t know how to regain the team's trust without explaining my actions.

Once we arrived at the Bus I finally decided to ask, “Am I in the same room?”

“Yes.” Jemma answered.

I dropped off my stuff and went to the conference room, already feeling the eyes following my every move. I refused to cry. I couldn’t let them see how much I was affected by the loss; otherwise, I will spend more time trying to win back my place and not get this job done. Laura also needed me. Or was it I who needed her? I couldn’t dwell on that right now.  
I strapped in for take-off. Then Coulson began the meeting while May put the plane in autopilot.

“We have 2 agents whose cover fell apart on the mission. We recently got a lock on where they are being kept.” Coulson started. “Ward and May will go in for retrieval.”

May joined the meeting. Ward began to discuss the layout of the building and the weaknesses and how they would approach the rescue.

“So how shall I dazzle you with my mad skills?” I said with a grin, faking what I could. Inside I hated the way things ended. I couldn’t regret my actions. I did what I needed for my family. Not a single person turned to me. Not a single smile cracked.

“The facility has a top of the line, reportedly hack-proof electronic security system. You will try to disable the security system. So the extraction team can get in to pull out the targets.” Coulson responded.

“Roger that. What type of security are they running?”

“We believe it to be an Ian Quinn creation, however, we really are unsure. Analysts haven’t been able to get past the first level.”

“Then this hack may take some time. Let me know the name of the facility. Who are we rescuing?”

“That is classified level 8.”

“Of course. When is it not?” I almost wished I could tell them that there was little in SHIELD I didn’t have access to. Not all by express permission. Really, most of the permission was implicit. 

“The facility is the Montelupich Prison in Cracow, Germany.”

We landed in Germany early the next morning. The team scattered to scout the town to plan contingencies. I was allowed off the bus (with supervision) to stretch my legs. I quickly pulled my phone to call Laura and let her know I arrived safely. She let me know the kids were all okay and sent their love. Still nothing from Clint or Nat. I needed to focus on the mission, then I could find those stupid siblings of mine. 

I wandered around the town, looking at internet connections in various cafe’s and looking like a tourist. I grabbed a few things from local stores: power bars, Gatorade, burner phones, laptop, and a few other entirely unnecessary souvenirs. I returned to the bus before everyone else and immediately started getting comfortable with the security code I would soon be taking out. As the team shuffled back in, they ignored me for the most part. Furtive glances were sent my way. I didn’t bother to greet anyone. I knew it would do me no good other than to serve as a reminder of my betrayal to them.

Once everyone was back, Coulson called a team meeting to discuss the next few steps.

“Skye, how does the security code look?”

“Pretty well built, but we all know it will bow to my stupendous skill.”

“And how long should we wait for this stupendous skill to show up?” Ward clearly was pushing my buttons.

“I will start building a test run tonight so that as I test the hacks I don’t trip any alarms. Hopefully, I can start practicing by tomorrow midday. As to how long a working hack will take, don’t know.”

“Don’t know? Or won’t share?” Ward is really trying to rub it in my face how little they trusted me.

“Don’t know. I may hit the right combo within a day or 2. Or I may be unable to exploit a vulnerability and have to build a vulnerability into the program which may take a few weeks. Then there is the issue of timing, I need to make sure that my timing is precise for while you break into the facility. It would be a real shame if I executed the code correctly for you to get executed by a guard because we didn’t account for things like guard rotations.” 

“Well work faster.”

No problem Coulson. Of course, now that you said work faster, I think I can get it done tomorrow. Originally I wasn’t going to even try.

I shut down my inner dialogue, it was not going to get me anywhere. The team continued to discuss the next steps while I tuned out already mentally reviewing the security code I had worked with. The team wouldn’t want my input and the faster this code was done the quicker I could kick my brother’s arse. They clearly didn’t want me here and every overture at friendliness had been squashed. 

Over the next few days, I built out a test run and ignored everyone else on the plane. Occasionally, I would ask if someone wanted to have breakfast (or any meal) together. Or I would ask to join May in Tai Chi. My attempts were met with the “no thanks” at best or the silent treatment at worst. I get that in their eyes I was a traitor to SHIELD, but don’t ask me to help then shut me out. I was slowly accepting that they didn’t want me here and I no longer wanted to be here.

I started to eat at different and odd times to avoid them. I worked out after everyone went to sleep. Much of my coding was done once everyone went to sleep so I could code without the glares and suspicious looks. My schedule revolved around putting more space between them and me. As much as I wanted to win back their trust, my extreme focus on separating my personal life (primarily Clint) would make proving my loyalty difficult. And earning back their trust would distract from the mission. Things were definitely better this way.

It was a week and a half later that a practice hack was successful. No alarm triggers. No catches. A dance through the maze of prison security software. I immediately notified Coulson. As I began to practice that hack for consistent timing, I realized that this mission would likely be closing out soon. Soon, I could go back to Laura and remind myself that someone wanted me for more than my ability to pull off cyber gymnastics. Nat knew I could make her life easier on a mission, but she never put my skills as a coder before me as a person. Clint didn’t want to acknowledge my hacker nature, but that’s because he was completely unable to conceive of anything he construed as dangerous for me and hacking definitely qualified.

The next day the team sat in the command center drilling out the rescue plan, discussing timing, rolls, positions, countermeasures, and contingencies. The bus had been hidden away as we all made our way to check into separate hotels. I would set myself up at a coffee shop with the burner laptop and hack the system. The following morning we would rescue the agents, each at locations scattered throughout the city, ready for a number of things to go wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

As I left my room that morning placing the bud in my ear, I acknowledged that this was very likely my last mission with my team.

“Getting coffee. Do you copy?”

“Touring the town. Do you copy” Fitz.

“Magpie in position. Do you copy?” Melinda.

“Wallace in position. Do you copy?” Ward.

“Caatinga in position. Do you copy?” Coulson. “All members in position. Timer starts now.”

I started the hack, locking down the security system and disabling the alarms. I pulled the security cameras.

“2 in entrance hall. 3 in guard room. 2 touring C.” There were more guards but as they were in other buildings and hallways, they would be locked in location once I finished locking out the security system.

As Ward and May crept through the prison, I focused on the hack, ignoring the security cameras. I needed to make sure the prison software did not attempt to kick me off otherwise the team would be up a creek without a paddle. Of course, things rarely go to plan, and being in a creek without a paddle seemed to be what I was best at. Suddenly alarms were blaring. I checked the code, I hadn’t tripped the alarm. I scanned through all the points.

“One of the guards tripped the alarm.” I ground out, frustrated.

“Or you didn’t do your job.” Ward snipped back.

“I did my job. Maybe you just aren’t as sneaky. And if you don’t trust me, you shouldn’t have read me in.”

“Shut up. Skye what can you see.” May was calm, but I could hear levels of frustration and anger. She believed I sabotaged the rescue. 

“We appear to have an unaccounted for guard wandering through block B.”

“Unaccounted for? Skye I thought you had eyes.” Coulson seemed to also think I had something to do with this.

“He isn’t on the roster and he wasn’t in any other rotations. I can’t find a record of this guard.”

“I told you we couldn’t trust her.” Ward likely wouldn’t follow any of my directions at this point.

The line went silent. Jemma, sitting across from me looked at me. “Yes sir.”

So they cut me out. They didn’t trust me. Fine. I would get them out, there is nothing on the plane I need. I would go to ground and find my stupid siblings.

I focused on at least making sure Ward and May had the right doors open as Jemma watched me. She probably thought I was stupid and didn’t realize they would try to arrest me once the mission was up. But she also didn’t realize that I had been taught to go to ground by the best. The second I heard Jenna confirm all agents were out I started to pack up.

“Skye, the mission isn’t over yet.”

“Yes, but I know you think I betrayed you and intend to arrest me. So forgive me for not staying. My part in this debacle is over. I shouldn’t have come back.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am not stupid. I know when I am cut out of something.”

“You weren’t.”

“Do not play me. My comm was off. I came here as a show of good faith and an apology. But you have spent the entire time waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Skye--” 

I cut Jenna off with a signal. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Clint taught me to always trust the hairs on the back of my neck. I rushed stuffing everything in while scanning my surroundings. Two men who did not look in the market for an Americano seemed to be making their way toward the cafe.

“Jemma, I know you do not trust me, but we need to run.”

“Why?”

“I suspect the two gentlemen headed this way are not here to help us.”

She swiveled her head. There went any hope at being sneaky. I grabbed the bag, grabbed Jemma’s hand and dragged her along. She followed without protest. I guess she figured out that was the better of two options. I heard the start of pursuit behind us. 

“Two unfriendlies in pursuit. Request backup.”

Well, good news, I had backup if only so Jemma would be safe. Bad news, a higher chance I was going to be arrested. As we ran, I saw two more suits ahead and ducked down a side street. At this point, it was a full-on sprint, with Jemma slowing me down. Ugh...I am not Clint or Natasha who can take down 10 men without breaking a sweat. Why did I not insist on self-defense lessons? 

We ducked down another side street. I turned to Jemma, and she was fighting to keep up. I needed to find us a crowd and dump the laptop.

“Jemma, when we get to a crowd, we need to blend in and walk. Do not look back, do not act suspicious.”

I didn’t get a response back as we turned through a series of streets. Finally, I saw a small market ahead. I grabbed Jemma and pulled her close as I turned into a crowded side street. I pulled Jemma closer.

“Jemma, pretend we are dating. As we walk we are going to buy things to slowly change our appearance. But we are going to meander like love-struck tourists.” I whispered into her ear.

She nodded. Terrified.

“I promise, I had nothing to do with this.”

“If you did, I don’t know what game you are playing.”

“I have no idea what is going on, but I am not on board with it.”

We spotted some hats and scarves in a stall, we peered down and quickly purchased two hats and a scarf quickly with little haggling. As we wander down the street we grab and discard various items. I try to track the men looking for us, constantly reminding Jemma not to look around but trying to keep her apprised of their location.

“Skye, eta of backup is 5 minutes.” Jemma leans to whisper in my ear. 

5 minutes. We have to hold it together for 5 more minutes.

We stay in the crowd, moving through the street buying a drink, and keeping with larger groups of tourists. After a few minutes, Jemma starts guiding us to wherever I assume the rendezvous point must be. We leave the crowded streets and separate, no longer pretending to be lovers wandering the street together on vacation. I see the SUV a block or so away with May and Ward standing outside. We make our way to the vehicle when I feel a tug behind and cold metal pressed to my head. 

Suddenly, the back door of the SUV swings open. Out steps the two people who I know are beyond mad. Mad might not even be the word I used. Mad at me for being here, but madder at the men behind me who are holding a gun to my head. Shit just hit the fan.

“Sorry folks, need the pretty lady here. Mr. Quinn is most anxious to meet here.” A goon not holding the gun to my head is doing the talking. Smart. Makes sure the one holding the gun isn’t focused on two things. Then I realize the mentioned Ian Quinn and my blood runs cold. 

“I believe I told your boss I wasn’t interested in his proposal.”

“Mr. Quinn thinks you just need the appropriate motivation Miss Johnson.” The good news, they only have my alias at this point.

“And what motivation would that be?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head.”

“Oh, I am not. Just curious. One other question, how did you know I would be here?” Might as well figure out if the two crapshoots here were related. No need to allow a repeat to happen and endanger my siblings. Speaking of siblings, mine seems to have disappeared while I am being dragged back. The rest of the team keep their guns trained on the goons (and myself) but Jemma has been pulled to safety.

“Well, Mr. Quinn realized that a good hacker was needed to rescue a couple of agents in a facility he controlled. So he knew chances were you would be asked, given you are one of a very select group who have ever broken his security system.”

“Why, I am flattered. Shame I am still not going to see your boss.”

“Miss Johnson, I have a gun. Your team doesn’t trust you and likely don’t care enough to save you. You no longer have an immediate use.” I look at the team and see guilt across their faces. It does not matter I realized this back at the coffee shop. A car pulled up behind us.

I hear a thud behind me. Found my siblings.

“Well you know what they say, the man with the biggest gun doesn’t always win the girl.” Moments later, the man holding the gun to my head was missing and arm.

“Did you just make a sexual innuendo about a gun to your head?” Nat looked giddy at the humor. 

“I felt that it was a rather apropos statement.”

Clint was clearly not amused and still ensuring that any threat to my person was removed and dealt with. He kneeled down to the one conscious person, “Let me make one thing clear. You made a mistake coming after her. You made a bigger mistake in doing it and thinking I would make good bait.” 

“Ohhh...all this time, I always thought I would be bait. Turns out, I am not always right.”

“Are you always this cheerful when individuals take you hostage?” Ward asked as handcuffs were being placed on me.

Nat was there in an instant, pushing Ward away and removing the handcuffs in what appeared to be one smooth motion. “Touch her and I will cut off all your limbs and feed it to you.”

“No. But I also was pretty sure that with the present company I was safe.”

“You are in trouble.” They hustled me into the car with Jemma. 

Any attempts at the team to get near me were rebuffed by the two assassins who seemed determined to maintain a bubble between me and the idea of danger. Ward’s attempt to arrest me had firmly put the team in the danger category.


	6. Chapter 6

As we arrived back at the Bus, Coulson came down to the ramp. “Why isn’t she in cuffs?”

“Tried.” Was all Ward said.

“Put her in cuffs, and it won’t be a happy day for anyone here.” Clint, the overprotective dufus.

“And why is that? She endangered the mission and is a traitor to SHIELD.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. We hired her to help get you out and she clearly flipped. Moreso, I want a report from the rest of the team on what happened so it can go in the notes.”

“Well then, Skye, lets go. As you aren’t needed, I suppose that ends the need for you to be here.” Nat turned around ready to go, before she paused. “Coulson, consider this my formal resignation from SHIELD. And it will likely be Clint’s resignation to.”

“Of course.” Clearly stunned, Coulson wasn’t sure quite what to do. “I suppose we should call Fury first.” Clint continued. I was silent at this point, not sure what the pair intended to reveal. “Will someone give him a ring? Let him know of our resignation?”

“Why don’t you come onto the bus and we can figure things out. I don’t know why it took so long to find you--” Coulson, was clearly trying to save the situation without understanding where it went wrong.

“No. The issue isn’t how long it took you to find us.” Nat started.

“The issue is that you even considered arresting Skyebear.” Clint finished.

“Do you know her?” Jemma asked, finally realizing that there may be some history.

My eyes shot to them. “I was placed in the same facility as Clint.” I hedged.

“Really Skye?!” Nat looked amused.

“Well, I don’t know what you intend to reveal. And in the words of a former boss of mine, our relationship is beyond their clearance level.”

“Relationship?” Jemma now seemed to think there was a polyamorous agreement.

“Eww...not that kind of relationship. That’s gross.”

“But Skyebear, think about all those long, cold lonely nights where we cuddled.” I was strongly considering fratricide. 

“Yeah, those nights where we cuddled after a nice dinner.” Make that sororicide too.

“Both of you are horrible.”

“Jemma, was it?” To this Jemma nodded, so Clint continued. “Skye is my little sister. As such, she is completely off limits. I will put down anyone who poses a threat.”

“That is far too nice. I make anyone who wished harm on my little sister regret the moment the thought even came into their head.”

Sometimes assassins were scary.

“But Skye betrayed SHIELD and this mission.” Fitz was definitely confused. Well, really the whole team was confused. Also, there was definitely a healthy dose of terror.

“If you were listening to the creeps with guns, then you would know my siblings were apparently bait for me. An entirely unexpected occurrence. Quinn didn’t know we were related. And honestly, I always thought it would be the other way around.”

“Yeah. I also thought it would be the other way around, but I was prepared to make a lot of bodies to prevent it.”

“It would be one of the history books.”

Did I mention, assassin siblings are scary?

“I didn’t betray you. When the extra guard appeared, I was no more prepared for that than you.”

“And the Miles incident?” Jemma questioned.

“MILES?!” Nat exploded. “That douche nozzle has been sniffing around you again?”

“You know Miles?” Coulson questioned.

“Know him? He tried to blow our cover years ago. Skye picked up on it. She flew out, started working as a double agent (without my permission) and prevented the leak in our cover and the cover of multiple agencies. However, he had the hots for her and became less savory.”

“I paid him a visit.” Nat added in proudly.

“You paid him a visit? I paid him a visit.”

“Maybe you should coordinate all these visits.” I supplied.

“Point is. We thought that problem was cared for.”

“Well, he was acting shady and I realized he had gotten info on a file that was too close to you, so I went in and played him again.”

“Wait, so we accused you of betraying SHIELD and you didn’t?”

“I didn’t. I was trying to protect my siblings, but I couldn’t explain that without revealing other things that would have put them and myself in danger. I was honest in the rest of my dealings, but I understand that a large betrayal like that is difficult. And when you called for help, I thought it would be my chance to prove I was trustworthy. But you were waiting for the other shoe to drop. I realized it pretty quickly you didn’t want me here.”

“You shouldn’t have been here in the first place.” A grumbly Clint was clearly not happy finding out I had joined SHIELD. “And you won’t be returning.”

“I figured. Anyway, I got peeps to take care of, better busses to drive, and a lot of art to consider. And I have to finish designing these cool new laser turrets for a nice turn of the century farmhouse. Plans.”

“Laser turrets?”

“Some of us handle boredom in different ways.” I paused, recalling the months of no contact. I turned and punched Clint. 

“Ow...what was that for?”

“Not contacting me.”

“Why doesn’t Nat get hit?”

“She didn’t feel the need to inflict me with minis. And I like Nat.”

Nat turned and smiled gleefully at Clint. “She had good tastes.”

With that, I tackled the two of them and sobbed. Clint was on me, surrounding me in a bear hug. I tried so hard not to cry. So hard. There were a few tears that seemed to escape without my permission as I inhaled his scent. Well, the smell of the prison and a lack of bathing. But I will take it. Soon Nat was hugging me and I might have cried a little more. Really it is all a blur.


End file.
